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The Dude Abides: The Gospel According to the Coen Brothers
by
Cathleen Falsani (Goodreads Author)
Whether you've seen only a couple or every single one of their fourteen films enough times to quote them by heart, you know Joel and Ethan Coen make movies like no one else in cinema. The Oscar-winning Coen brothers' quirky and enduring films are rich with meaning---much of it hidden just beneath the surface, gems of spiritual and existential insight waiting to be excavate...more
Paperback, 238 pages
Published
September 15th 2009
by Zondervan
(first published September 4th 2009)
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I won a copy of this book, and so wanted to love it. However, it's almost unreadable. Falsani devotes approximately twenty pages to each of the Coens' movies, and nineteen of those pages are devoted to straight plot summary. The final page summarizes Falsani's progressive views of Christianity and how she shoehorn them into her reading of the Coens. If you've seen the film she writes about, her summary is boring; if you haven't, it ruins the film. This is the style of writing that most writ...more
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This is not the kind of book that I would normally read, but I got a copy at the 2009 Chicago Lebowskifest. I am not a religioous person, and have only seen about half of the Cohen brothers movies. If, however, the author gives me an autographed copy of their book, I will at least read the introduction.
It was the introduction that convinced me to read the rest of this book. In it, Cathleen Falsani writes that she hopes the readers will disagree with conclusions that don't seem write...more
It was the introduction that convinced me to read the rest of this book. In it, Cathleen Falsani writes that she hopes the readers will disagree with conclusions that don't seem write...more
In Cathleen Falsani's introduction, she states...
"It would be dishonest to try to wrestle the Coen Brothers' films into a God-shaped box --or woodchipper, for that matter --and that is not my intention."
...and then she proceeds to do exactly that.
The Dude Abides attempts to put a theological spin on the films of The Coen Brothers. I'm not sure exactly what philosophy or religion the Coen Brothers embrace but I suspect the one in this book is not it. ...more
"It would be dishonest to try to wrestle the Coen Brothers' films into a God-shaped box --or woodchipper, for that matter --and that is not my intention."
...and then she proceeds to do exactly that.
The Dude Abides attempts to put a theological spin on the films of The Coen Brothers. I'm not sure exactly what philosophy or religion the Coen Brothers embrace but I suspect the one in this book is not it. ...more
Not as good as I hoped, but the Cute Factor of the concept itself gets the book an extra star. I think the failing of the book is in the basic structure - Falsani wants to give equal treatment to each of the Coen Brothers' films. What this does is force her to spend too much time on the ones that don't contribute to her thesis and too little time on the more overtly spiritual films in the collection (Big Lebowski and O Brother, for example) that are worthy of a deeper analysis than is given.
...more
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As she’s a ’92 Wheaton grad, I can’t help but think that I know something of her world, Wheaton College being one of the other “good” schools where my high school funneled their little achievers.
And as such, I’m pretty sure that this is not the book she meant to write. Heavy on plot synopsis, too tidy in its lessons-learned conclusions, I get a feeling that the author started off the day with a thousand thoughts, only to have her editors whittle and polish it down to something with ca...more
And as such, I’m pretty sure that this is not the book she meant to write. Heavy on plot synopsis, too tidy in its lessons-learned conclusions, I get a feeling that the author started off the day with a thousand thoughts, only to have her editors whittle and polish it down to something with ca...more
I am a HUGE Lebowski fan. In fact, I have a tattoo on my ankle that reads "abide." I think I gave this book 3 stars instead of 2 because I love the idea that Cathleen Falsani would write this book. I think I like the idea of it better than the book itself. As an English teacher, I kept hearing myself say to Ms. Falsani, "Expand...tell me more...yeah, so?" She spent more time summarizing the movies rather than analyzing them. I wanted more of her analysis because, clearly, she...more
Terrible.
I knew it would be bad after looking at it for a minute in the bookstore. I still couldn't help myself. Morbid curiosity.
Most of it is simple plot summary. It reads like a series of movie reviews by a fourth grader.
Every film has a tidy "Moral of the story" section, never more than a single page long. She says Barton Fink is a Zen movie at heart. ??? Really? Hard to stomach, for me at least.
The Coen's seem to be critic...more
I knew it would be bad after looking at it for a minute in the bookstore. I still couldn't help myself. Morbid curiosity.
Most of it is simple plot summary. It reads like a series of movie reviews by a fourth grader.
Every film has a tidy "Moral of the story" section, never more than a single page long. She says Barton Fink is a Zen movie at heart. ??? Really? Hard to stomach, for me at least.
The Coen's seem to be critic...more
This book was something different than I anticipated—though I should have expected a spiritual rather than artistic direction after noting Zondervan was the publisher. Though it was not what I expected I’ll say right here at the outset I found it interesting and definitely worth reading.
The author gives a brief summary and then assesses the “spiritual” message inherent in the 14 Coen brothers’ films. Now, as noted previously, these are just her opinion. You may not agree with some (o...more
The author gives a brief summary and then assesses the “spiritual” message inherent in the 14 Coen brothers’ films. Now, as noted previously, these are just her opinion. You may not agree with some (o...more
The Dude Abides: The Gospel According to the Coen Brothers by Award-winning Chicago Times Religion Writer Cathleen Falsani. I love reading books that look at the theological ramifications of movies and TV shows. And this book looked like another good one. The cover of the book would make an awesome Poster for a room or Dorm room. I thought it was an interesting idea to look at the Gospel through the films of the Coen Brothers. That being said…
The book started off with such promi...more
The book started off with such promi...more
Sometimes Falsani has impressive, profound things to say about the Coen brothers' movies. The best essays are the ones on "Fargo," where she shows how Marge Gunderson represents the four cardinal virtues, and "The Big Lebowski," where she introduces the ancient Jewish idea of the Lamed-Vavnick. The essay on "O Brother Where Art Thou" is one of the best as well.
But about half the time, the movies just don't really hold up to intense religious scruti...more
But about half the time, the movies just don't really hold up to intense religious scruti...more
Interesting concept - the author describes each of the Coen Brothers' movies in great detail and then gives a (usually) brief summary of how the storyline relates to religion, specifically Christianity. Falsani obviously likes "The Big Lewbowski," but oddly leaves out all the pot-smoking - could that be why The Dude is so laid back and easygoing rather than some Zen-like love for humanity? Sometimes the relation of the movie to religion seems stretched and contrived, but still an enter...more
I have nothing but respect for Falsani, and I'm grateful that this book is out there, but in truth, I can't imagine ever sitting down and reading all the way through it, and, as a reference, I suspect I'll use it somewhat sparingly. The book is way too heavy on plot summary for true Coen fans, and what insights are offered strike me as fairly narrow interpretations. Which is not to say that there aren't any good insights here-- I suppose I'm just not entirely sure who this book is written for.
Very good book examining the movies of the Coen brothers from a spiritualist perspective. Although the book does have a mildly religious bent, the author doesn't cram any particular religion down your throat, and instead uses the films as a discussion of morality and philosophy in general, with only a mild helping of religion (mostly of the Judeo-Christian bent). Extremely well-written, well-thought out, and thought-provoking. I need to rewatch these films from Falsani's perspective next time.
I expect so much more. I expect a book titled "The Dude Abides" to spend more than cursory treatment of The Big Lebowski. The movie demands more respect.
This book, contrary to its titled emphasis, discusses all Coen Brothers' movies. The discussion avoids mere recap. Rather, the author analyzes the story of each movie and how it relates to scripture and philosophy.
I enjoyed going through each Coen Bros movie. But I just wanted more on The Big Lebowski itsel...more
This book, contrary to its titled emphasis, discusses all Coen Brothers' movies. The discussion avoids mere recap. Rather, the author analyzes the story of each movie and how it relates to scripture and philosophy.
I enjoyed going through each Coen Bros movie. But I just wanted more on The Big Lebowski itsel...more
Amber Moore
added it
I'm not far into this book but i am not finishing it. Very sad and i am not usually that way but it is now where what it is cracked up to be. You read about movies you watched in th 80's to have some one come with the spiritual oppion on them. Sorry I believe in god but i don't need someone dictateing my movies in to the word of the gospell. Glad this book was free on my kindle because had i paid i would have asked for my money back.
This book was pretty disappointing. I only read the chapters of the films that I had seen 7 of the 14 films. She just summarized the films in detail and then had a few paragraphs at the end about the spiritual significance of the film. I didn't see the justification for an entire book on this topic. On the other hand, I did appreciate some of the thoughts that she had on the different films. Now I want to see more of the Coen Brothers' films.
This book is very disappointing! There is far too much plot summary of each of the Coen movies and not enough critical/theological/spiritual analysis of their work. While some good ideas are offered, it feels all to cursory and un-developed. Either the author is out of her league in this offering, or she simply has not done enough thinking about what she hoped to write.
A great companion book to the Coen Brothers movies. It makes the movies even more interesting to have some idea what the brothers have studied, thought about, included in their plots. I still can't get over the violence in the movies, and Falsani did not address that to my satisfaction!
Lots of fun and basically correct. Not overly serious or scholarly, which is fine by me. Coen Brothers' fans who are also theologically inclined (which ought to be all of them) will get a big kick out of this one. Makes for a good gift as well.
A glorified bunch of movie reviews and little in the way of penetrating analysis. I have written more about Lebowski philosophy on my own. I hate to be critical, and Falsani can certainly write, but I was enormously disappointed.
Most of the chapters are devoted to rehashing the plot which, if you're a Coen brothers fan, you already know by heart. The last half-page is devoted to some semi-Judeo/Christian religious analysis. Not for me, personally.
this was a terrible book. It consisted mainly of summaries of all the Coens' film with some "Here's how its kind of like the Bible" analysis. Any educated person can do such analysis on their own.
If you like the Coen Brothers and are familiar with their work, this is a comprehensive look at their films with the thread of spirituality or morality running through it. Very interesting.
This is a must read for fans of the Coen Brother movies. I hadn't seen all of their movies (most but not all) and even enjoyed the Judeo/Christian interpretation of those.
Interesting concept...give the summary, then the scene-by-scene, then find theological links. They're there...the Coens love people, and when you love people, you forgive them their idiocy, their pettiness, their meanness and you look to thier goodness...or you try.
Some Coenmandments:
It's better to be kind than to be right...love always wins
Take chances. Don't be paralyzed by doubt or fear.
All moments might be key moments -- act like they are.
No one knows the qualit...more
Some Coenmandments:
It's better to be kind than to be right...love always wins
Take chances. Don't be paralyzed by doubt or fear.
All moments might be key moments -- act like they are.
No one knows the qualit...more
A religious take on all the films made by the Coen Brothers. It was a fun and entertaining read.
A decent overview of each of the Coens' films to date, but what's the point? It's been done better elsewhere. The analysis, the only reason anyone would buy this in the first place, is crap. Furthermore, anyone who actively cites such a raving ninny as Lee Strobel as "a friend" isn't to be taken seriously in the first place.
Sadly, much of the content of the book was just a rehashing of the plots of the Coen Brother's films. I'm a Christian who loves the Coens, but didn't get much out of this. The title and book cover are cool, though.
Rich
added it
Found is Book I of a series called The Missing, Time travel of babies to 2008 comes from all over history. Jonah finds other adopted friends with a similar past.
overly simplistic, fluffy read--her analysis reads like an undergrad paper; wished for more from this book.
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